Monagea and St Ailbes set up Limerick Ladies SFC decider after coming through respective last four ties

Both semi-finals were played on Wednesday evening as the champions needed extra time to keep their defence alive.

Monagea and St Ailbes will contest the 2022 Limerick Ladies Senior Football Final this Sunday after both came through their respective semi-finals.

There will be a quick turnaround for both with the final set for this Sunday in Bruff at 1.30pm with the Munster club championship to be played the following weekend.

On Wednesday evening, the defending champions needed all their experience as they outlasted Ballylanders 0-13 to 0-12 after extra-time. In a repeat of last year’s decider, There was nothing to separate the teams at full time as it ended 0-10 apiece in Knocklong. But as they did in the TUS Gaelic Grounds last November, Monagea found the crucial scores when needed to book their place in a sixth successive final.

In the other semi-final, St Ailbes victory was far more straightforward as they beat the 2021 Intermediate Champions Drom Broadford 2-11 to 0-8. In a back and forth first half, Drom took the lead for the first time after a quarter of an hour with four successive scores giving them a 0-5 to 0-3 lead. That was reduced to a single point by the half but what followed was a second half onslaught from the 2020 champions. Ailbes rattled off 2-1 without reply within five minutes of the restart to turn the contest as they powered to victory and back into the final.

Monagea and St Ailbes met in the 2020 final where the East side retained their title with a narrow 0-9 to 1-4 win. The previous year in Bruff, an Eimear Ryan free in injury time separated the teams with Ailbes claiming a first title since 2012.

For Monagea, Wednesday’s victory ensured they maintained their record of featuring in every senior final since 2017. Twice before they have faced Ailbes, losing on both occasions.